Betrayal
by ToujoursMiraculous
Summary: When Adrien finds out that his father is in fact Paris' supervillain Hawkmoth, will he be able to continue to fight for all of Paris, or will Gabriel's reasoning be enough to convince him to join the side of evil?
1. In Spring

It was a beautiful day in the city of Paris. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and everyone around the city was in a good mood: it was finally Spring.

On his way to meet Ladybug at their usual meeting spot atop of the Eiffel Tower, Chat Noir came across some wild flowers just outside the city. He swiftly picked a few, gave them a sniff, and continued on his way.

Ladybug watched over the lively city, the sun becoming low in the sky, making everything glow an orangy-pink. This was her favorite time of day. She breathed in the smell of the newly blossomed flowers, and freshly cut grass, her mind picturing a nearby field she sometimes likes to go to when she wants to relax, and find inspiration for her designs.

The sound of boots landing nearby pulled her away from her thoughts.

"Happy 3-year anniversary, Ladybug," he smiled, a bouquet of wildflowers in his hand.  
Her expression displayed a mix of emotions. She was both confused, and flattered to be given the bouquet. Chat Noir only saw the confusion, though.

"Tsk tsk," Chat clucked his tongue in disapproval. "How could you forget? Today marks three years since we became Paris' superheroes. Don't tell me you've actually forgotten?"

"Ahh, right," she smiled, a slight tint of pink on her cheeks. "I've just been distracted lately, that's all." Her eyes told a different story than her smile.  
Chat Noir walked up next to her, leaning against the railing.  
"What's wrong, m'lady? Is everything alright?" he asked, tilting his head so he could see her features better.  
Ladybug turned her head away. "I'm fine. Like I said, I just have a lot going on. And speaking of..." she turned back to face Chat. "About the party tonight..."

"You're going?" asked Chat curiously, his tail flicked.

Ladybug brushed her bangs back. "I am... but not as Ladybug. I'm going as my civilian self."

Chat grinned so wide, his face almost hurt. "I'm going to be there, too, as my civilian self."

She let out a laugh. "I'm not surprised, considering half of Paris will most likely be there. After all, it's a Masquerade Ball held by the Mayor because his daughter threw a tantrum. She just wanted an excuse not only to dress up, but to mock everyone else." Ladybug was quiet a moment, before she spoke again, only this time, she spoke so quietly he almost couldn't hear. "I'm really looking forward to it though."

"So... are you going alone, or with anyone? Friends, or maybe a... a..." he trailed off awkwardly.  
"I'm going with some friends, Chat," she smiled. But then that smile changed into one he's never seen before. "There is someone there that I can't wait to see, though."

Chat swallowed. He knew that look. It's a look she had never given him, and it pained him that he wasn't the one to put it there.  
He focused on keeping his voice even, and upbeat.  
"Oh, well I hope you have a good time."

"Thanks Chat," she tapped her thumb on the railing awkwardly for a moment.  
"I think Hawkmoth's no doubt going to look to akumatize someone at the party, so keep on the lookout, alright?"  
"Of course," he said.  
"...I should go, I have to get ready and everything. Have a good time tonight, too, okay?" Ladybug insisted gently. "And thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful." She briefly rubbed the side of his arm, and departed.  
He watched her glide away, as graceful as a bird in the wind, and sighed. Chat too had to get home before his father realized he was gone, and get ready for the night.

Ladybug swung into her room like an Olympic gymnast, and detransformed.  
"I have to hurry and get ready, Tikki! Alya's going to be here in like half an hour," she rushed over to her mirror to check out what kind of state her hair was in. She removed her hair ties, letting her hair drape over her shoulders like a curtain.  
"Here's your brush," Tikki held out for her.  
"Thanks," she quickly took it, and began raking it through her hair.

Tikki sat on the table, watching her frantically get her hair in the style she wanted it, assisting her when she needed a pair of extra hands. Marinette decided to wear it half up, half down, and loosely curled the ends of her hair, and put the hair she pulled back into an intricate bun.  
Marinette had moved onto her makeup when Alya arrived, completely dressed up.

"How did I know you would be frantically still trying to get ready?" teased Alya. If Tikki hadn't have heard her coming and hid, Marinette surely would've jumped at the sudden sound, causing her to ruin her eyeliner, which in turn, would mean she'd have to redo her face.  
"I had to take care of something first, so I started getting ready late," informed Marinette.

Alya sighed, so typically Marinette. "Let me help. We have to leave in 20 minutes, you know."  
"Is Nino coming by?" she politely wonder, as Alya helped her curl her lashes.  
"Yeah, he'll be here any minute. He invited Adrien of course, but you know how his father is. We'll have to wait to see him at the Ball."  
"Right," she gulped nervously.  
Alya wanted to tease her, but she knew Marinette was nervous enough, so she let it go, continuing to help Marinette with her makeup.

"Knock knock, can I come in?" they heard Nino's voice ask.  
"Come in, Nino," Marinette said as Alya brushed over her face with powder.

"Hey guys," he greeted. He started to say something, but a bright blue dress he saw in his peripheral vision caught his attention. "Whoa, is that what you're wearing tonight, Marinette?" he asked, astonished.

"You like it? Ever since I heard about the Ball, I've been working on that dress. Take a look at the mask over there." she pointed to a small mannequin head over on the table that stood next to her dress.  
Her mask was the same shade as her gown, and it was covered in ruffles that formed the shapes of roses. It had a shine to it, almost glittery, that appeared to be slightly silver in the light.

"All eyes are totally going to be on you tonight, Marinette. If you're trying to upstage Chloe, it's going to work, no doubt. She's _not_ going to be happy when she sees you."

"I'll do my best to stay out of her way, then," Marinette grinned. "Thanks Nino."

"Done!" Alya exclaimed, looking quite pleased with her work. "Now to change into your dress, and we should be ready to go. Wait downstairs for us, Nino. And send Mrs. Dupain-Cheng up, please."

"Got it," he saluted, and he headed down the stairs.

"Nino looks really handsome tonight, don't you think?" said Marinette, absentmindedly.  
Alya glanced at her, her eyes wide. "Hey, none of that. He's mine," her tone almost came out as a growl.  
"Huh? What...? NO! No, I don't mean it like _that_ Alya! Not that there's anything wrong with Nino, it's just..."  
The redhead burst into laughter. "I'm just messing with you, girl! I know you only have eyes for a certain blonde-haired, green-eyed model."  
Marinette sighed in relief that she wasn't really upset, only Alya took it as her being nervous.

"Don't worry, tonight will be just fine, girl," her best friend tried to reassure her. "I promise."


	2. The Masquerade

**AN: I'll be updating this fic with new chapters for the next few days, before I start spacing them out. I want you guys to get a good feel for the story, as well as assurance for those interested that I'll be keeping up with it.  
Also, I listened to a lot of Waltz music (one of which I mention in this chapter) in case any of you are curious to know what I listened to while writing.  
I reply to comments/reviews that I'm able to, so feel free to post your opinions, questions, and feelings, and don't forget to follow/favorite if you want to know when I update 'Betrayal' or my other fic 'From Where You Are'.**

* * *

The three 17 year old's arrived at the Masquerade party, that took place in none other than Le Grand Paris Hotel's magnificent ballroom.

Nino and Alya walked in ahead of Marinette, Alya's arm linked with Nino's. Her gown was also designed by Marinette. As much as Alya had pleaded with her to not waste her time on something so extravagant for her, Marinette insisted to the point where she gave in.  
Her dress was orange and yellow, an almost tie-dye look. It gave the illusion of flames when the hemline spun around. The neckline was a Sweetheart Neckline, her mask was creme with accents of gold that stood out due to the yellow in her dress. She wore her wavy red-ombre hair up in a high ponytail.  
Her boyfriend Nino attended the ball in a silver blazer and pants, with a forest green button-up and tie. His mask too was crafted by Marinette. It's base color a matching silver with hints of green.

As Marinette walked in, she glanced around the room, observing all the dresses and suits everyone was wearing, admiring the different designs and styles. Then she began searching. Was he here yet?

A blonde man caught her attention, though she could only see the back of his head. Without a second thought, she walked towards him. Marinette only nearly managed to avoid a pair of dancers from striking her. But she kept on her feet, despite stumbling, and continued moving forward until she was a few feet away, where she suddenly stood completely still. The blonde she had been walking towards had turned his head enough so she could see the profile of his face.  
The first name that came to her was Chat Noir when she saw his face. Although he was not wearing a black suit, but a white one, or an all-black mask, and of course, no cat ears and tail, he resembled him so much, it was uncanny.

He spotted her then, the beautiful girl in the cerulean blue gown, raven-black hair, and blue-bell eyes. His eyes grew wide, his mouth popping open in surprise.

 _It can't be..._ thought Marinette.

 _But she looks so much like her..._ Adrien remained frozen.

 _Is it really him?_  
 _Is it really her?_

"Marinette!" Nino called through the crowd of dancers, as he and Alya ran up to her. "We're so sorry we got separated, there are just so many people here... W- ...Adrien!" he exclaimed at once when he saw Adrien staring at Marinette.  
Adrien took a moment to recover himself.

"H-hey bud, you look good. I almost wouldn't recognize you," he greeted weakly.

Alya looked suspiciously between Marinette and Adrien.

"Yeah, a bit different from my baseball cap and T-Shirt, isn't it?" he agreed, tugging on the collar of his shirt uncomfortably. "I've never been very fond of suits."

Adrien chuckled. "You get used to them." Then he glanced back at Marinette.

She was still looking intently at him. She couldn't shake off the feeling that he was Chat. There was something about the way he held himself that just screamed Chat Noir. But that was silly, Adrien as Chat Noir? Really? 

Her expression relaxed due to the absurdity of the though, and she shot him a friendly, but timid smile.  
Alya dragged Nino off to go dance, even though Marinette knew Alya didn't care much for dancing.  
Translation: Give Adrien and Marinette some time alone.

"Would you care to dance, Marinette?" Adrien held out a hand once their best friends were out of sight.  
"S-sure," she stuttered quietly. They took a few steps, before she abruptly stopped. "Wait! I don't... I don't know how to dance," she bit the bottom of her lip, and looked down at the ground, embarrassed.

"Not to worry," he pulled her closer to him, a playful grin forming on his lips. "Just follow me. And don't look down, okay?"  
She nodded, taking a deep breath, hoping to calm her erratic heartbeat.

A new song began, Adrien recognized it as **_Under the Sky of Paris_**.

For the first minute or so of the song, Marinette nervously followed Adrien's lead. She only managed to step on his feet twice, neither of which Adrien seemed to notice. He seemed too focused on her.  
She gained a little confidence, considering her mess ups didn't seem to matter to Adrien, and finished the song without further casualties to his feet.  
However, they continued dancing through the next song. This time, they paid little attention to the music.

"You look beautiful," he said, his eyes never leaving hers.  
Her face went scarlet, her stomach flipped at the compliment. "Th- Thank you. You look great, too!" she rushed out, completely embarrassed now.  
Adrien only smiled in response. "You made your dress and mask yourself, didn't you?"  
"Y-yeah," she replied, glancing over his right shoulder, trying not to look into his eyes this time. "My dress and mask, along with Alya's, was a project of mine the past month or so."

"Ahh," he sighed. "That's why I haven't seen you around much. I was wondering where you'd gone off to."  
That stopped Marinette short.

 _What was he saying? He actually noticed?  
_  
"Don't tell my father I said this," he leaned in, his mouth but a few inches from her ear, "but I think you're a lot more talented than he is. The gown you're wearing alone is something that surpasses even his best work."

Marinette blushed again, but her eyebrows furrowed.  
"Adrien, your father is Gabriel Agreste, I'm certainly not even _near_ his level yet!" she exclaimed. Adrien might be his son, and someone she cared about very, _very_ dearly, but that was her idol he was talking about! "But... thank you. Really. It means a lot, coming from you," she added softly.

"Oh? Why's that?" he asked innocently, purely out of curiosity.  
Marinette was certain her blush had gotten even worse. Clearly blushing was just something she'd have to deal with for the remainder of the evening, but when did she not blush around him?

"Uh, well... uh..." she babbled, not sure how to reply to that without giving it away that he was the love of her life and his opinion meant the world to her. Wouldn't want to freak him out, or anything.

"MARINETTE!" a shrill voice shrieked.  
The pair would recognize that obnoxious voice anywhere. Adrien groaned.

"Who do you think you are, coming here wearing _that_?!" Sabrina hurried to Chloe's side, wearing a dress that paled immensely in comparison to the elegant and vibrant dress the Mayor of Paris' daughter wore.

Adrien stepped in front of Marinette, holding his arm out as if to shield her from Chloe's words. "Why does it matter to you what she's wearing, Chlo?"

She grumbled to herself, not wanting to answer honestly, of course. Then she suddenly changed her plan.  
"Dance with me, Adrikins!" she squealed, though it was an definitely an order. She took his hand, and started pulling him towards her, and away from Marinette.

Adrien looked back at Marinette apologetically. "Go get something to drink. I'll meet you over there when I can get away," he whispered, giving her a quick wink before he was dragged out of sight.

Marinette blinked. _What has gotten into Adrien? It's as if he's..._ flirting _with me. But he would never..._ she shook her head to clear it before she began to dwell on all the reasons why Adrien could never possibly like her, and thus would not be flirting.  
She was just imagining it, that was it. After all, tonight felt more like a dream than reality. Maybe she _was_ dreaming, and any time now, she'd wake up.  
If so, it was an amazing dream. 

Marinette walked up to the table that displayed refreshments and hors d'oeuvres, and grabbed a small glass that contained a pink liquid. Her eyes grazed over the food, observing the fancy designs and how petite everything on the table was.  
She turned to gaze at the dancers, truly admiring the way some of them moved. 

Movement in the corner of her eye distracted her.  
"Care to dance?" asked a low voice.  
Marinette turned to her left, and saw a young man, about her age maybe, looking at her.  
He was tall, at least a head taller than her in her 3 inch heels. He had short jet-black hair that was groomed quite nicely, his part on his left side. His suit was only a few shades darker than her dress, and his dark mask made his grey eyes pop.

"Uhh," she said, trying to think of an excuse to turn him down, but her mind was blank. "Alright," she responded, sighing, taking his hand as they stepped onto the dance floor. One dance couldn't hurt anything.

Marinette and the mysterious man began to glide around to the soft music, and those around them began to take notice. Something about the way they moved was mesmerizing the crowd.

Adrien meanwhile, had finished his dance with Chloe, and bumped into Alya and Nino as he looked around the room.  
"Have you seen Marinette?" he asked them, slightly concerned. "I told her to wait for me by the refreshment table, but I just checked and she wasn't there."

Alya glanced around, craning her neck to see above the crowd. "We should go look for her," she said when she couldn't spot her among the sea of people.  
Nino nodded in agreement. Alya and Adrien started heading for the opposite side of the room, when Nino told them to wait.

"Is that... isn't that Marinette dancing with some really tall dude over there?" he stared in awe as he watched them.  
Alya and Adrien quickly came up on either side of Nino to see what he was talking about. Alya grinned slyly, mentally praising her for dancing with such a cute guy, but Adrien...  
His muscles tightened, and his nostrils flared as he watched.

"Adrien?" Alya asked, breaking him free of his irriated thoughts. "Are you okay? You look upset."  
He didn't realize his emotions were written on his face. And honestly, he wasn't quite sure _why_ he was so upset. He only recalled feeling this feeling once before...  
"I'm fine, I'm fine," he assured, he stance relaxing. He smiled at them sheepishly, before he pushed through the small crowd that circled Marinette and her dance partner.

"Marinette!" he called as he broke through. She turned at her name, and smiled when she saw him. Her dance partner stopped their dancing at once.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here with someone," the man said apologetically. He was good at hiding it, but Adrien could hear the disappointment there. He looked at Adrien a moment, before turning to Marinette.  
"Thank you for the dance," a crooked grin spread across his pale face. He bowed his head slightly, and disappeared.

"I'm sorry Adrien, when I was waiting for you, he came up to me and asked for a dance, and -"  
Adrien held out a hand to stop her.  
"Don't worry about it, Marinette. I'm the one that left you to dance with someone else, I should be the one apologizing."

Marinette waved her hands out in front of her. "It's alright. I'm kind of tired though, let's go sit over there awhile?" she gestured over to some empty chairs that were along the edge of the room.  
"Okay," Adrien agreed, taking her hand and leading her to the side of the room, away from the dancers.

They sat down, suddenly an awkward silence settled between them.  
"So... are you having fun?" Adrien asked in an attempt to break it.  
"Y-Yeah, I am. It's been great. How a-about you?" Marinette stuttered, her voice a little too high to sound believable, even though she was having a great time.  
"I've been to more balls and parties than I'd like to admit, but this definitely makes the top of the list. Well, mostly," he mumbled darkly that last bit.  
Marinette raised her eyebrow in confusion, when a blood-curdling scream echoed around the room, causing the two to instinctively jump out of their seats.

"Oh no..." they said in unison, before panic arose from the guests, and others began screaming. The two made quick, but very lame excuses for needing to suddenly run away from the other. Though with people running around frantically, neither thought anything of it, and went in opposite directions to find a place to transform in the midst of the chaos.


	3. Hawkmoth's Reveal

Ladybug ran towards the direction she suspected the akuma was located, given the hint of people running away from something as if their lives depended on it. She bumped into Chat on her way, who had been coming into the crowd from a different part of the room than Ladybug. They didn't exchange any words, or looks, as they dodged out of people's way. The heroes expressions were tight with concern, focused straight ahead.

The lights began to flicker, causing the the tension to rise in the room. Everyone remaining at this point were desperate to evacuate. They pushed and they shoved, managing to clog up the exits when too many people tried to leave the room at once.

When Chat Noir and Ladybug finally reached where the source of the screaming had been, they stopped and stared in horror at what they saw.  
This wasn't an akuma attack. There was no akumatized victim at all. At least, not yet. No, this was much worse.

None other than Hawkmoth himself was standing there, waiting for them. He stood there gracefully, his light blue eyes staring menacingly at Ladybug.  
"I vowed I would destroy you, and get your Miraculous, Ladybug. I'm not going to let you get away this time," he said coldly. "I'm here to make sure that the one doing my bidding finally does the job right."  
And as if someone had called his name, he turned his attention to his right.  
"Ahh, what do we have here?" Hawkmoth smiled a twisted grin. "Just what I need..." he chuckled to himself.

Marinette's dance partner from earlier was peaking out from under a nearby table, unable to hide his emotions from Hawkmoth, and therefore, himself. He was his perfect akuma target. The pain, the worry, the fear that was buried there in his heart...

"No!" Ladybug shouted, taking a step towards the masked man. "Leave him alone!" her tone demanding.

Hawkmoth ignored her, causing her to spring into action to stop him. "Run Seth!" she ordered, as she flung her yo-yo in Hawkmoth's direction.

Seth crawled out from under the table, immediately starting to run, but the akuma Hawkmoth had released was just too fast for him.

Ladybug and Chat Noir witnessed Seth transforming into one of Hawkmoth's akuma victims, something they had never actually witnessed firsthand before.  
Suddenly, Hawkmoth caught Chat Noir's attention, beckoning him to follow, before backing away and running out of the room.

"You take care of... Seth," Chat suggested, hesitantly using the guy's name. "I'll make sure Hawkmoth doesn't get away."

Ladybug nodded, and watched Chat quickly disappear, as he took off after Paris' supervillain. Several minutes of chasing him around, and he was led to the rooftop, a very familiar place to him, as several akuma attacks in the past had been involved with the hotel.

Chat Noir panted slightly, the race up the stairs wearing him enough where he needed to catch his breath. "What are you doing here, Hawkmoth?" he asked, his tone serious, demanding. "Why show yourself?"

"I have my reasons... _Adrien_ ," he grinned, looking wickedly pleased.

Chills ran down his spine hearing his name being spoken in that tone, by this man. No one but Master Fu and Plagg knew his secret identity...  
"What makes you think that's my name?" Chat asked, trying to keep his voice even.

"A father knows his own son's name, Adrien," he sounded less like Hawkmoth, and more like Gabriel Agreste in his response. Irritated and coarse. A different kind of cold from Hawkmoth, but cold nonetheless.

"I-I don't believe you!" denied Chat, backing away.

"Nooroo, detransform me," Hawkmoth ordered. Within seconds, Gabriel Agreste stood on the rooftop of the hotel. Chat Noir's heart shattered instantly at the sight.

"No," he whispered, shaking his head back and forth in disbelief. "No, you can't be... father, why...?" Chat detransformed himself, and sunk to the ground, defeated. Silent tears were streaming down his face.  
His father was the one he loathed. The one that threatened his city. The one that threatened and used his friends. The one that continues to threaten _her_.  
Anger began to swell inside him.

"I'm doing this for you, Adrien. For _us_ ," he insisted urgently. "You want to find your mother, don't you?"  
Adrien's stomach felt sick.

"Mom..." he whimpered.  
"Yes... with yours and Ladybug's Miraculous, I'll be able to find her, Adrien. With your help, I'll - we'll - be able to bring her home..."

"Oh no..." Alya whispered nearly inaudible, as she hid behind one of the lounge chairs surrounding the pool. She had chased after Chat Noir when she saw Hawkmoth in the flesh. There was no better scoop than that, as much as she would've liked to watch Ladybug fight the akuma.

The last thing she had expected to come across was the scene before her.  
Hawkmoth was the famous Gabriel Agreste. Adrien's father.  
Chat Noir was Adrien Agreste, the famous model. Hawkmoth's son. Her friend. Marinette's crush. And he was being coaxed into be apart of ruining Ladybug.

The footage of the whole scene was being broadcasted onto the Ladybug. Live.

* * *

 **AN: Hello everyone! This one's kind of short in comparison to the previous two chapters, and shorter than most of the ones I'll be writing in the future. I just thought this would be a good place to end this chapter.  
If you have any questions about the story, or just want to express how you feel about the story thus far or your predictions, don't be afraid to post a comment! I look at them all, and reply to those that I am able (those with accounts). Seeing your comments mean a lot, as they tell me that my story is more than just a quick read for you, which inspires me to write more. So a special thank you to those that take the time to post something! x3  
**

 **I'll be posting the next chapter shortly, so look out for it!**

~ToujoursMiraculous


	4. The Truth

Alya got to her feet at once after Hawkmoth and Chat Noir... er, _Mr. Agreste and Adrien_ , left.  
She immediately sat down in the lounge chair she had hidden behind, trying to process what she had just witnessed.

It didn't make sense to her at all. Adrien was Chat Noir. His father was the villain who has been messing up Paris with akuma attacks for 3 years, the one who preyed upon her and her friends' emotions to turn them into villains themselves, just so he could get what he wanted from them...

 _Marinette_ , Alya thought suddenly. She was going to find out, and she was going to be _devastated_.  
Alya knew the next thing she had to do was look for her Everyone in Paris knew Alya was the one behind the camera, so putting it off would only end up adding to the mess if she didn't tell Marinette herself.  
After taking a moment to attempt to absorb it all, Alya descended the stairs, heading down to see if Marinette was still around, or if the appearance of Hawkmoth and his akuma victim scared her and everyone else away. Part of her hoped this was true. She didn't think she was ready to deal with it now.

Nino sat in the ballroom waiting for Alya to return. He talking to the guy that had been akumatized, Ladybug must've taken care of him rather quickly, Alya noted.

Nino looked up when he noticed her enter the room.  
"Alya!" he hollered, waving her over. But when he saw the look on her face, his smile quickly faded. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" he jumped up out of his seat, closing the distance between them quicker.

 _Ah, Nino!_ she screamed internally, mentally facepalming herself. _How could I forget?!_ Alya shook her head.  
"There's something you need to see..." she held her phone out to him. But before she could show him the video, Ladybug appeared again.

"Have you seen Chat Noir? I can't find him anywhere, and I'm starting to get really worried..." she glanced over at Alya, and noticed the deep sadness and almost _guilt_ that reflected in every feature of Alya's face.

Ladybug took a few steps forward, "Alya? Is everything alright?" she rushed, worryingly, reacting the same was as Nino.

Alya held her phone out toward Ladybug. "Something happened tonight that you both need to know about," she told them, looking back and forth between the two.  
Ladybug took the phone from Alya, her and Nino looked down at the screen a moment before Alya continued.

"I followed Chat Noir when he went after Hawkmoth. I live streamed it onto the blog, and well..." she gestured towards her phone.  
Nino pressed the play button.

You could see the camera hiding behind something for a moment, before it tilted slightly, showing Chat Noir and Hawkmoth.

* * *

 _"What are you doing here, Hawkmoth? Why show yourself?" Chat was demanding._

 _"I have my reasons..._ Adrien _," Hawmoth responded, emphasizing Adrien's name._

 _There was a pause that lasted just a second too long for Adrien to convincingly deny it._  
 _"What makes you think that's my name?" he replied._

 _"A father knows his own son's name, Adrien," his tone sounded like a father annoyed by his child. There was a hint of love hidden beneath the irritation, Ladybug noticed._

 _"I-I don't believe you!" Chat was shouting angrily, taking a few steps back._

 _"Nooroo, detransform me," mumbled Hawkmoth, the sound barely picking up on camera. After a slight glow, Gabriel Agreste stood where Hawkmoth had been._

 _"No, you can't be... father, why...?" Nino and Ladybug heard Chat ask, he sounded on the brink of tears before watching him transform into Adrien. Ladybug gasped.  
_

 _"I'm doing this for you, Adrien. For_ us _. You want to find your mother, don't you?"_

 _"Mom..." Adrien whimpered with such desperation. Ladybug, Nino, and Alya exchanged uneasy looks.  
_

 _"Yes... with yours and Ladybug's Miraculous, I'll be able to find her, Adrien. With your help, I'll - we'll" he corrected "- be able to bring her home..."_  
 _Silence fell over the rooftop. The only sound that could be picked up in the video at all was the sound of sirens in the distance. Gabriel stood there patiently, waiting for him to say the words he so badly wanted to hear. And knew he would, as Adrien nearly ever disobeyed him.  
_

To Ladybug and Nino's dismay, the words he said next were like weights on their hearts.

 _In a steady, and cold voice, he replied. "What do you need me to do, father?"_

 _Gabriel beamed, in a way that no-one had ever actually seen from him. It wasn't a pleasant grin, as it didn't reach his eyes. Instead of relief and hope, he appeared smug, deranged even._  
 _Did Adrien notice that? Ladybug didn't think so, as he appeared to have been staring at the ground._

 _"I need you to meet Ladybug in 20 minutes. Tell her you chased after me, but I got away. I want you to pretend to be by her side when she fights the next akuma. And when her guard is down after the fight, take her Miraculous and bring it to me," he nearly purred. With Chat Noir on his side, he couldn't see how he could fail again._

 _"You..." he began, the coldness in his voice beginning to melt away. "You want me to betray her?"_

 _"If you want to find your mother, you will, yes."_

 _"Fine. If that's what you want me to do, I'll do it. I'll go right now. Plagg, claws out," They heard Adrien say, completely emotionless.  
_

 _Chat Noir appeared in moments, and as quick as he had appeared, he was nowhere to be seen._  
 _Gabriel transformed back into Hawkmoth, and he too disappeared._

* * *

Alya had shut off the feed then as the screen went dark.

Nino and Ladybug shared the same expression. Their eyes were wide with shock, their brows furrowed with worry. The only difference was Ladybug's eyes were glistening, as if she was about to start crying.

He ran his hand through his hair as he plunked down on his chair.  
"I know Adrien's missed his mom, but I never thought he'd join _Hawkmoth_ , dad or not," Nino shook his head, stunned. "I just can't believe it."  
"There has to be some sort of explanation, right...?" Alya trailed off. "And Marinette!" Alya began to panic, beginning to dial a number on her phone.

"Wait!" Ladybug cried, doing her best to let Ladybug take over, and put Marinette aside. Marinette felt like curling up in a ball somewhere at the new development. Her crush was Chat Noir. Something that she would've been _very_ relieved about had she found out under better circumstances. But Chat Noir was planning to deceive her, and steal her Miraculous to give to Hawkmoth. She didn't have a partner she could rely on anymore, and the thought was too much for her to stand.  
"I'm supposed to meet Chat, which is what I'm going to do. I'm going to confront him about this, right now. I'll come back and fill you in so you can tell Marinette the whole story, alright? I'll be back." Her friends - though they were obliviously unaware of this fact - noticed a change in the way Ladybug held herself. They couldn't quite place what exactly was wrong.

Nino and Alya watched Ladybug leave the near-empty ballroom. Only the couple and Seth were left now, and he was looking pretty upset with himself about what happened. Nino had tried to explain to him that this sort of thing happened all the time in Paris. Seth didn't take any comfort in his words, though.

"Adrien is _soooo_ in trouble!" Alya fumed suddenly, causing both boys to jump. "I _swear_ , the next time I see him, I am going to _hurt that pretty face of his_ for turning over to the dark side, _abandoning_ Ladybug, _and undoubtedly breaking Marinette's_ _heart!_ That boy is gonna _paaay_. _"_

Seth cowered in his seat. "I-is she usually like this?"  
"Eh," he shrugged. "When it comes to things she's really adamant about. Only, she's not so threatening... Most of the time."  
"Oh."


	5. Exposed

**AN: Angst Warning! Things are about to get heavy.  
**

* * *

Ladybug swung over the streets of Paris to meet with Chat Noir, and instantly she noticed everything felt much darker to her. Instead of the city lights making her feel content and calm, they were blaring, eerie orbs that felt too far away. The lights she admired so much with her partner once upon a time, gave off a menacing feeling to her, and she tried to shake it off.

It took all that she had not to picture Adrien's face as she kept going forward. Sweet, kind, and loyal Adrien had said those words in that cold, unforgiving voice that made her skin crawl upon recollection.  
The boy she fell for 3 years ago that day in the rain, and the boy with the black mask, with the constant jokes and assorted puns, that she found herself secretly falling for more and more each day, would actually turn on her and join Hawkmoth. He was the last person on Earth that she would expect this from.  
Yes, it was to save his mother, and yes it was his father that he was joining, but turning your back on the side of good, and threatening people, exposing their weaknesses to get what you want out of them? Is there anything worth that?

Up ahead, she saw Chat Noir crouching over the ledge of the Eiffel Tower.  
When she landed near him, he didn't turn to look at her.  
"Ladybug," he greeted curtly.

If she didn't know better, she would've been confused at the sudden change. Instead, she took a deep breath and went right to the point.

"I know who you are," she stated, no emotion in her tone.  
His tail flicked slightly. "You do?"  
"Yeah, I do," Ladybug replied bluntly.

Chat sat in silence, waiting for her to say more, to explain herself.  
"Check the Ladyblog, Adrien," she forced out, clenching her fists together. Ladybug tried to focus on her breathing, the threat of tears spilling over was becoming greater.

Chat jumped as his name being used by her when he was suited up, but pulled his staff out from behind him and did as Ladybug said.  
He watched the video in its entirety, his jaw tightened more and more throughout. Chat quickly jumped to his feet, and started to pace around.

"How could you?" Ladybug mumbled through gritted teeth.  
"Did you not hear why in the video?" Chat shot back sarcastically.

 _Breathe_ , she had to remind herself, as she kept forgetting. She starting to feel like a fish out of water, she didn't feel like she was getting any oxygen at all, as hard as she tried.  
"I heard, but that still doesn't explain why you would betray me, and all of Paris! Would your mom want you to do this?"  
Chat's cat eyes grew wide with anger, and he moved faster towards Ladybug than she would've thought. He was standing just inches from her face.

"You don't know _anything_ about my mom," he hissed.  
"No, I don't. I guess I didn't know you, either. _Neither_ of you, though I thought I did..." she trailed off for only a moment. "So is this the real you then? Adrien and Chat Noir are just alter-egos of _this_?!" she raised her voice, flinging her hands out in front of her. "Is this truly the person I've been spending so much of my time with these past three years?" she screamed even louder, the sound of the wind howling in her ears. It made their conversation seem darker, more haunting than it already was.  
He didn't reply, and backed off a few steps.  
She let out an annoyed huff. "So what, you're done being my partner now?"  
"I think that's pretty clear, Ladybug," he replied in the same rude tone.

"Is that what you really want?"

Chat was silent for a moment, Ladybug heard him take a breath.  
"It is," Chat said coldly. "I'm tired of being your sidekick. I'm tired of saving people. And I'm _sick_ of you always pushing me _away_!" he bellowed while aggressively brushing his hand through his messy blonde hair.

Ladybug's jaw dropped, her sudden intake of breath catching his attention.  
Chat huffed in response.  
"So this is my fault? You're blaming _me_?!" she exclaimed with disbelief.  
Chat fell silent.  
Ladybug's stomach rolled. Every muscle in her body tightened, her entire frame shook. "You're wrong," she whispered.  
"I don't know why I'm even going to tell you this, but I guess I'm clinging onto the hope that this will be enough to change your mind."  
She swallowed, turning so that she wouldn't be staring into Chat's face. Instead of him, she focused on a light in the distance as she spoke.  
"I pushed you away as Chat Noir, because I was in love with Adrien Agreste," she told him, fighting to keep herself together. "Because I loved Adrien, it _terrified_ _me_ that I was falling for Chat Noir, too..." her voice began to shake. "And all this time, they were the same person... But in the end, these two turned out to be _you."_  
Tears began to burn their way to the surface, threatening to spill over.  
"If anyone should be feeling sick, it's _me_! Because even now, even with you like this, I still love you!" she couldn't keep it together anymore, and the last thing she wanted to do was to cry in front of him, but it was just too much for her to take.  
"I'm never going to stop loving you. I'm never going to stop hoping that one day, you'll come back to my side again, the two boys I knew. But maybe that's just wishful thinking..."  
Ladybug took a step that put her further away from him.

"Goodbye, Chat."

She had to get out of there as quickly as her yo-yo could carry her. Ladybug was fading away, and Marinette was coming in fast.  
On instinct, or maybe just force of habit, she headed for home. She detransformed the second she was above her balcony, and landed in a clump on the floor. Marinette sobbed uncontrollably, letting everything out. The pain, the heartbreak, the fear and worry. The crippling loss...

Tikki hovered above her, and watched her Chosen cry her eyes out. She wanted to cuddle her, to tell her everything would be okay, but she knew that that would be the worst thing for her to do right now. So she just watched, with tears falling of her own, and waited for her to stop.

A figure a couple of building's away, watched the scene he was not meant to witness unfold before him. Then, after a couple of minutes, he disappeared off into the night.


	6. Pain

**AN: Another angst warning-worthy chapter.**

 **Also quick note: if you want to see updates about chapters, ask me questions, or give your comments, feel free to follow me on tumblr, user ToujoursMiraculous. c:**

* * *

Marinette sat on the floor of her balcony, in her elegant, handmade ball gown. The pleasant memories that went along with this dress had been shattered not even a couple of hours later.  
Whenever she saw this dress, she knew the events of tonight would come crashing down on her. She knew that she'd recall the butterflies she felt while she was dancing with Adrien. She knew she'd be able to recall clearly the sound of Chat Noir's cold, cruel voice, and how angry he sounded when he told her he couldn't put up with Ladybug pushing him away anymore.  
She had known after 3 years of pushing him away, that it was going to have some sort of consequence, but she was hoping he'd simply move on and be happy elsewhere. That's what he deserved. Or at least, that's what she thought.

Two sides, each with their own side of pain, were battling inside her. She finally knew who Chat Noir was, and that the guilty feeling she felt every time she pushed him away, or one of the rare times she flirted with him back, was all for naught. Marinette had learned that the two were one in the same tonight, but it seems like the boy who really exists is neither Chat Noir nor Adrien.  
The pain she felt was a pain that made her feel physically sick to her stomach. All the time she had spent with him, both sides of him, was nothing but a lie... a very cruel lie.

Marinette wondered why she had to fall in love with the boy with the umbrella so quickly. She didn't even know anything about who he was as a person. She had barely even glanced in his direction. But for some reason, Marinette fell hard for the sweet, naive blonde boy, without having a say in the matter.

 _Why? Why did I have to like him in the first place?_ she thought to herself. _This was too cruel... It's like the universe presented me with everything I could ever want, dangled it in my face, and before I could reach out and grab it, took it away to never be seen again._

Her tears kept flowing from her blue-bell eyes, her thoughts getting darker and darker with each passing minute.

 _How am I going to be able to battle Chat Noir and whatever akuma's Hawkmoth decides to throw my way, without my partner?_

 _What if I fail? What if something bad happens to Paris because I'm not good enough on my own?  
_

 _What if this was it for me, that he's the only one I'm ever going to be able to be in love with for the rest of my life?_

 _Am I ever going to feel alright again? Because I've never felt so broken and lost before. Will this feeling ever go away? If so, when?  
_

 _Will I be able to let go of him someday? Will I even want to?_

 _Maybe I should just give up being Ladybug. I'm not good enough for Paris. I'm too stupid, and clumsy, and trusting. I'd give my Miraculous away if people were threatened..._

 _Why_... Why... _WHHHY?!_

Marinette's sobbing grew more hysterical, and became louder with every thought. Tikki grew anxious, at not only seeing her in such agony, but also because she was no doubt going to draw attention to herself from people on the streets, and maybe even her parents with the volume her crying had reached.

The Kwami glided down so she was level with Marinette's face.  
"Marinette?" she mumbled softly, her little high voice filled with concern and anxiety. "People are going to start hearing you, including your parents. And you promised Alya that Ladybug would come back and tell her what happened..." she trailed off, her voice barely audible.

Marinette sniffed. "Oh... Okay," she mumbled between sobs. "B-but I can't g-g-go like this. I'll have to - I'll have to call her instead."  
She stood up, her legs feeling like they suddenly were made of cement, dragged across the floor, to get to the trap door. One hand she held out to keep her balance, as she didn't feel like she was steady enough to keep herself standing without it, the other arm she wrapped tightly around her waist.  
As she opened the door, and she reached her leg over to step inside her bedroom, her foot caught, and she faceplanted directly onto her bed.

"Marinette!" Tikki cried, rushing down into the room. "Are you alright?"

"Y-you mean d-did I get hurt when I fell? N-no," she answered with interrupting sniffles and hiccups. But she didn't make any attempt to get up.  
"I'm tired," she whispered.  
"Come on Marinette, you have to get up. You're still in your dress."

 _Ugh, the dress... I don't want it on me anymore,_ she thought. That was enough to get her up. Probably the only thing that would do it at the moment. Calling Alya didn't seem very important anymore...

Marinette nearly ripped her dress off (though keeping it very much intact, as no matter the association with one of her creations, she could never destroy what her hands crafted) and tossed it on the floor. She rushed over to her wardrobe to quickly put on her pajamas. Then, she swiftly grabbed a large box she had stored away in her room, and folded her dress up and stuffed the box away again, completely out of sight.

She went to her sink, to wash off all traces of the Ball from her face, and took her hair down. She had curls and waves that she normally didn't have, so she violently brushed at those a bit to make them appear less harsh. Satisfied and calmed down enough that she was only hiccuping and sniffling ever couple of minutes, she was ready.

"Tikki, spots on..." her voice sounded dead, but they were the magic words nonetheless.

Ladybug took a deep breath, but it did her little good, as it felt like she wasn't getting any air at all.  
She dialed the familiar number, her yo-yo phone ringing a few times before she heard the voice she knew so well on the other line.

 _"Hello?"_ Alya answered.

"Alya, it's Ladybug. Sorry I couldn't come back to meet you, but I met with Chat Noir." _Keep it together._

 _"What happened?! Is Adrien alright?"_ her friend wanted to know. The name sent icy splinters through her heart. _You can do this._

"Y-yeah, he uh... he really, um, meant what he said in the video. I'm so sorry," she said genuinely and professionally, as she knew Alya wouldd be passing this info onto Nino. But keeping up the act was both difficult and very annoying for her at the moment.

 _"Oh no... did he say anything to you that his friends might need to know?"_

Ladybug repeated the question in her head a couple of times, she was having a hard time focusing.

"No, but there is something you should know about him. Is your friend there with you?"

" _You mean Nino? Yeah, he's here."_

"Put him on speaker please," Ladybug asked.

 _"Alright, it's on speaker."  
"Hey Ladybug," _Nino greeted.

"Hi Nino," she greeted back politely. "I'm just going to get right to the point. Um, I went and talked to... C _hat,"_ she forced the name out. Ladybug knew she wouldn't be able to say _Adrien_ aloud. "I... I've never heard him sound so cold, and distant, and... _vicious_ , even. I've spent a lot of time with both, er..." she trailed off, trying to figure out a non-painful way to word it that would make sense to them.

" _Don't worry Ladybug, we got it,"_ Nino assured her. _"Go on."_

"Okay, uh, anyway I just thought I'd warn you that he's not the person that I thought he was, and if you do see him again, stay away from him. I don't know how far he'll go to do what Hawkmoth wants, but you need to keep that in mind if you do see him, alright?"

" _So, my best bud is what... gone?"_ his voice sounded strange, she couldn't identify how exactly. But it certainly didn't sound very Nino-like. _You're almost done. You're almost done. You're almost done!  
_

"I don't - I don't know, Nino. I don't want to believe he is. But I'm not sure I even knew him at all..." she heard Chat's cold voice in her head again, and she shuddered.

" _Thank you for letting us know, Ladybug,"_ she heard Alya say, as professional sounding as Ladybug. She barely registered it, however.

"No problem, see you later," she said as her parting line, and hung up her phone. She detransformed, and made a beeline for her bed.

"I'm so tired. I just want to sleep. Nothing can feel worse than this," she told Tikki as she climbed up her ladder. She quickly grabbed a small pillow off the top of her bed, and burrowed herself under her covers, and grasped the little pillow she held against her diaphragm.

 _Let this day be over, please. Let me fall asleep easily. I just want this to stop..._ tears streamed down her face silently, but she got what she wanted. It didn't take long at all for her to fall asleep.

But it wasn't the kind of sleep she was hoping for.

* * *

 _"Marinette," said a voice that was so angelic, she thought without a doubt, it must've come from an angel. She turned around, and saw the most handsome young man standing behind her dressed in all white. He was tall, lean, and more muscular than she thought someone with his build would be. His golden hair was styled to perfection, and his piercing green eyes glowed as they stared at hers.  
She felt a jolt run through her. She was more than content, being here with him. If Marinette could, she'd stay just like this forever._

 _And then he smiled, and it nearly shattered her heart, but she didn't understand why. Something was telling her this was a bad idea, but she didn't listen to it. How could seeing him be bad? How could being with him be bad? There was nowhere else she could possibly ever want to be, than right here...  
_

 _Marinette smiled back, suddenly her steps floated towards him. She wanted to reach out and take his hand. And as if he could hear her thoughts, he reached his hand out for hers. Marinette took it, the feeling brought only comfort and happiness. Maybe even too much..._

* * *

Marinette woke up abruptly, drenched in sweat. She had felt the need to scream, but like with most nightmares, Marinette didn't wake up screaming. Instead, she felt paralyzed, as she tried to bring her heart rate down.

Even in her sleep, she couldn't escape the pain.


	7. The New Kid

Much to her dismay, morning inevitably arrived. And not without a few torturous nightmares, each one worse than the one that came before.

As she walked through the doors of her school, she immediately noticed it was alive with the buzzing of student gossip about what had happened the night before. Some of them had attended the Ball, and were eager and excited to describe seeing Hawkmoth in the flesh. Others talked about the latest akumatized victim. But most of what Marinette overheard that morning was about Gabriel Agreste being Paris' notorious villain, and the beloved Chat Noir and famous model Adrien, being his son. Some didn't even seem surprised that his identity was revealed to be Adrien, nor that he joined the darkside.

"Black cats are unlucky after all. People used to say they'd hang around witches. And Chat Noir's power _is_ destruction. Talk about evil. Can you imagine what would happen to you if he decided to use Cataclysm on you?" she overheard one boy say when she walked by.  
"CATACLYSM!" screamed one of the others he was with, startling the kid. He angrily shoved him to the ground, embarrassed that his friend caused him to jump.

"...and if you ask me, that 'nice, innocent boy' thing was just an act. There's no way a kid that rich would actually be that kind. I mean, look at Chloe Bourgeois for example. I bet his father had him attend some private school for rich kids in a foreign country somewhere before he went to school with us. The whole 'I've never been to school before' act was totally bogus. Just a way to get sympathy from us all," Marinette heard Alix say to a group of kids, though she didn't bother turning her head to see who they were. She just kept her focus straight ahead.

Suddenly, a pair of hands stretched out in front of her, holding a pair of lightly colored headphones. She stared dumbly at them a few seconds too long, before she looked up to find that the hands that held them belonged to Nino.

"Thought you could use a pair," he offered kindly, a crooked smile on his face. Nino's headphones that were usually around his neck were instead propped up on his head, covering his ears. His eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles underneath. He looked like he had barely slept a wink. Which is probably how she looked, too.  
"You didn't sleep well," she stated, her voice sounding dead.  
Nino's smile vanished.  
"I didn't know if I was going to be able to show up today, to be perfectly honest with you."

Marinette only slightly nodded, looking to the side, not really focusing on anything in particular.  
"So... You heard, huh?" he asked awkwardly.  
She didn't answer, continuing to stare into space.

Nino sighed. "Put these in, and come with me," he instructed, his voice suddenly louder, and more serious. Marinette did what he had asked, and he pulled her along by the wrist. They wove through groups of students that were gathered, 99 percent of them talking about Adrien in some way. None of which she wanted to hear. She realized she forgot to thank Nino for giving her the pair of headphones, as all she could hear through the headphones was a low buzz.  
They reached their nearly empty classroom. Alya was sitting in her usual spot, waiting for her best friend and boyfriend to show up. Sitting in the back of the class was sat a couple of kids that always showed up early, one of which rested her head on her desk, as if she was taking a nap.

Alya turned her head when she heard the door open. Her expression was filled with anxiety and concern.  
"I've been so worried! I tried calling you last night, but you didn't answer. And you didn't reply to any of my texts... Oh, I'm so sorry girl!" Alya got out of her seat to give her friend a hug. Marinette stood there like a statue a moment, before she registered what was happening, and reciprocated her friends hug.

"Thank you for the headphones, Nino. Mind if I carry them around with me today?"

"Of course not."

Marinette nodded, putting them around her neck, much like Nino always does with his.  
Kids started to pour into the classroom then, as the bell rang.

"I don't care what the latest news is, I expect you all to be on time for my class, not out in the halls gossiping!" Mrs. Favre vehemently scolded the large group of children that had walked in. The students hung their heads in shame, and quietly shuffled into their seats.  
Mrs. Favre was normally a very kind and quiet woman, with long blonde hair, and hazel eyes. Today she seemed on edge, and something about her appearance was unkempt. Maybe something was different about her hair, or maybe something about her outfit just didn't look right...  
Marinette didn't care enough to figure it out though. Her eyes darted to the empty seat in front of her, and the affect the action had on her was powerful. It was as if someone had released a cage of butterflies into her stomach, and they were desperate to escape to freedom, fighting their way out with everything they had.  
She automatically wrapped her left arm around her waist, the pressure easing her discomfort slightly.

"As if this day wasn't already chaotic enough, we have a new student joining us today," Mrs. Favre informed her students, while pinching the bridge of her nose.  
A dark haired, grey-eyed boy walked in. Nino and Alya's eyes went wide.  
"Seth?!" Nino exclaimed, standing up out of his chair.

Seth looked in the direction he had heard his name, and his quiet and shy demeanor changed immediately.  
"Hey dude!" he greeted, and waved at Alya when he saw her sitting right behind Nino. His eyes drifted to his left, until he saw Marinette hunched over in her seat. His eyes softened, and he smiled.

"I'm Seth Wong," he greeted the class confidently. Seeing familiar faces in the room had eased the knots in his stomach that he had been harboring since he found out he would be going to school in Paris. "I was born in Beijing, China, where my family lived until I was five years old. That's when we moved to San Francisco, California in America. I spent a lot of time between there and Vancouver, Canada until I moved to the UK when I was 15. Due to uh, unfortunate events," Seth began looking uncomfortable. "I had to move in with a distant relative here in Paris."

Marinette began to pay attention to him when she heard him announce his name.  
He had seen more of the world than she, as she had only ever been to Shanghai, and if you count layovers, she did see a brief view of Los Angeles and another place she can't remember the name of...  
Her mind focused on this, almost latching onto the much needed escape in desperation. She tried to picture the places he had lived. She wondered what it was like to see the Golden Gate Bridge, or the beautiful evergreen trees, surrounded by mountains and water in Vancouver. Maybe he even saw Big Ben every day in London, if that's where he spent the past two years in the UK, that is...

"Marinette?" she heard someone say suddenly, inches away.  
She blinked, clearing her thoughts away, when she saw Seth sitting in the seat in front of her, his body turned around, facing her.  
"Oh... hello again," she said shyly, a slight tinge of pink on her face. She bet she looked like an idiot, spacing out like that.  
"Ahh, you remember! I was afraid you wouldn't. What are the chances we'd go to the same school, much less be in the same class?" He said ecstatically, and for a moment, the carefree expression he displayed very strongly reminded her of another 17 year old boy she knew. She tried to smile in reply to his friendlyness, but her expression instead looked more like a cry for help.

"Are you okay? Did I do something?"

"NO!" she cried, a little too loudly. A few kids broke from their conversations with their neighbors to look over at Marinette curiously. "No, it has nothing to do with you, it's just... it's..."  
Nino cleared his throat, drawing the attention of Marinette and Seth.  
"Uh, I don't know if you saw the news after you were akumatized Seth, but we found out last night that a really good friend of ours turned out to be Hawkmoth's son, and he decided to join him to wreck havoc on Paris and to try to take Ladybug's Miraculous. So you'll have to forgive us, we're not really ourselves at the moment."

Seth's jaw dropped, his eyes quickly darted between his three acquaintances.  
"Oh! Oh, I'm really sorry, I had no idea... This isn't where he sits usually, is it? Because I'll move -"

"Don't worry about it," Alya interrupted, resting her head in her hand. "Since he's not..." she turned to look at Marinette, and it was clear that she knew what Alya was going to say. "He's not going to be coming back."

Seth watched Marinette's face scrunch up before she turned away from her friends. For some reason, it was as if he could feel her pain just from her expression.  
"Oh..." was all he could say, before Mrs. Favre called for everyone's attention so she could start teaching the first lesson of the day.


	8. A Bit of History

**AN: Writing this when extremely tired and with a massive headache was probably not the best idea, but I really wanted to get this chapter finished. I'd greatly appreciate you letting me know if you like it! c:**

 **~ToujoursMiraculous**

* * *

The sound of the final bell was like music to Marinette's ears.  
She let her friends know that she was immediately heading home, and quickly gathered her things. But before she could put on the headphones Nino had lent her and jet out the door, Mrs. Favre called her over.  
Mildly curious, and somewhat worried, Marinette waved goodbye to Alya and Nino, and walked up to Mrs. Favre's desk.

"I'd like to speak to you in my office for a few minutes, if you don't mind Marinette?" her tone was polite and friendly, but the stress in her expression screamed that something was wrong.

 _Oh no! Did I fail an important test? Do something I wasn't supposed to? Is this about missing class so much due to my Ladybug duties? Oh my gosh oh my gosh what do I do, I promised Dad I'd do my best to behave, he's so going to kill me! This couldn't have come at a possibly worse time!_

Marinette swallowed nervously. "Uhh, sure?"

She followed her teacher through the door in the front of the room that had every student wondering at some point what lied behind it. The room Marinette pictured when she thought about it at all was completely different than what was actually before her.

Mrs. Favre had a beautiful darkly stained desk sitting in the middle of the room, a sleek computer sitting on top, with a couple of framed pictures sitting nearby. She had a small stack of papers neatly sitting at the top right corner of her desk, a pen and pencil sprawled out on top.  
The room was bright and cheerful, with lavender curtains over the window, and freshly cut flowers on a little table that sat below it, which made Marinette relax slightly.

That is, until she saw the pictures that were on display in the frames.

A young Adrien looked back at Marinette, her heart sunk to her stomach when she saw how beautiful and happy he was. His eyes were shining like a couple of peridot jewels, his grin stretching across his face from ear to ear.  
In the photograph next to his was a blonde woman with the same color eyes and hair as Adrien, with a weak, pointy chin and a thin nose. She recognized her from Adrien's desktop background.

Mrs. Favre sat down at her desk and when she noticed where Marinette's attention was focused, lett out a deep, tired sigh.  
"Please sit, Marinette," she gestured to the only other chair in the room. "I have some things I have to explain to you. Including why I have a picture of Adrien and his mother on my desk, as I'm sure you're wondering."

Marinette sat down, her posture slouched slightly. She held her hands in her lap nervously, as she tried to focus on the words her teacher was saying instead of the image of the little blonde boy she saw in her mind's eye.

"I think it's important for you to first know who I really am. Or well, know about my _other_ identities..."

"In France, I'm now just an ordinary citizen, a wife, a teacher. But in Germany I was a famous fashion model, along with my sister. At a young age, she and I would walk down the street with our mother, where people would stop and tell her how beautiful we were, and that when we got older, modeling was something that would be an absolute shame for us not to pursue."  
Mrs. Favre picked up the frame that held Adrien's mother's photograph, looking down on it with a small smile.

"We became very poor not long after that. With the loss of my father, my mother was struggling to make ends meet. I didn't know it at the time, but she later told me she was considering taking us to an orphanage to hopefully provide us with a better life than she could, when she remembered the comments from the people we ran into on the street. She rushed us to an agency, grasping onto one last bit of hope to keep us together as a family. Fortunately, we were just what they were looking for, and not long later my mother signed a contract."

Marinette gaped when it dawned on her why she had the photographs, why she looked vaguely familiar...

"Years later, we became the biggest female models in Germany, known as The Konig Sisters. We both knew why we had become part of the fashion industry, so I never hated it, but I would've been happy to pursue other things in life. But my sister on the other hand was in love with her career. She loved the fashion, the attention, the glamor and the fame. She lit up in front of the cameras, as if posing for them was second nature to her...  
On one of her trips to France, she met a young and quite handsome aspiring fashion designer-"

"Gabriel Agreste?" Marinette interrupted, looking intrigued, but also unsure. The mixed emotions she felt about this family was messing with her emotional and mental state.

Mrs. Favre laughed once. "Yes, handsome Gabriel. Oh how charming he was," she recalled, setting the picture of her sister back down on the desk. "He had a sense of humor, too. He was very into puns."

Marinette's jaw tightened, her throat going dry. _Like father, like son._

"My sister announced one day that she was going solo in her career, and that she was relocating to Paris. She said she felt like she would be more successful here than she would be in Berlin, and although it was proven to be true, my mother and I knew Gabriel played a part in her wanting to move to Paris. We supported her decision, however we stayed behind in Germany.  
It was shortly after she left that I found something that I really loved to do more than anything else. Something... _miraculous,"_ she hinted, Marinette's eyes went wide.  
"And I know you are _miraculous_ as well, Marinette."

She felt a chill roll through her. No-one was supposed to know her secret identity, besides Master Fu, of course.

"You were just like me when I was about your age. Always making excuses to leave during times when chaos had erupted, arriving late when an akuma attack occurred in the middle of the night, or early that morning. Why do you think I've let your tardiness slide? Oh, oh dear," she exclaimed when she noticed Marinette's expression.

She looked fearful at her, as if she had just been locked in a room with someone who was going to murder her.  
"Marinette, your secret is safe with me, please trust me on that. I just wanted you to know that you're not alone, and to offer you some advice. I understand that you must be feeling like it's only you now against evil forces, but that's not true. Both the side of good, and the side of evil will be getting new fighters. Some will have abandoned one side for the other, and some will simply act as a double agent. And above all else: trust your instincts."

The raven-haired girl just stared at her teacher in awe. How did she know all of this? Was she even telling the truth? She seems genuine, but with Adrien and Gabriel, how could she even trust anyone anymore?  
The words her teacher had just spoken to her reverberated in her mind. _Trust your instincts.  
_ Her instincts told her to trust her, so she decided she would.

Marinette nodded, smiling a smile that touched her eyes. "T-Thank you, Mrs. Farve."  
"I have more to tell, but considering it's been a long 24 hours, let's call it here for today, alright?"  
She nodded again in reply, standing up to take her leave.

"Oh, Marinette?"

"Yes, Mrs. Favre?"

Mrs. Favre held the photograph up of Adrien. "Don't give up on him."


	9. Confusion

"I'm worried about Marinette," Alya expressed her concerns to her boyfriend after school the next day. "She's not acting anything like herself, and this is the second day in a row she's gone to Mrs. Favre's office to talk. If there was something really wrong, she'd tell us, wouldn't she?"

Nino pulled her into a tight hug.

"Of course she would. I just think she's trying to come to terms with what happened. When you love someone and you find out they're nothing like they made you believe... that's gotta be harsh," he rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"But why has she been talking with Mrs. Favre so much all of a sudden?"

He let go of her, his hand brushing down her arm, until he took her hand. "You'll have to ask her," he nodded his head toward the door, as she and Mrs. Favre walked out.

"You guys didn't have to wait for me," Marinette said softly, grabbing her bag from off her desk.

"It's cool, girl. We're meeting up with Seth in a little bit, you should join us," her redheaded friend suggested, trying her best to be cheerful.

Marinette took a glance back at Mrs. Favre, who gave her an encouraging smile. Ultimately, she agreed.

On their way to meet up with Seth in the park, Alya asked her about her talks with Mrs. Favre.  
"You're not in trouble or anything, are you?" she wondered. "I know you've always had issues with tardiness and stuff, but I thought she was cool about it."

"Oh, she is," Marinette assured her. "I'm not in trouble or anything, don't worry. She's just um, giving me some extra help and advice, that's all."

"Ahh," Alya politely nodded. After a few moments of listening to nothing but their footsteps, she took the conversation in another direction. "Seth's a really cool guy. Smart, funny, kind... I think you'd really like him if you tried getting to know him," she hinted, nudging her friend in the arm with her elbow.

Marinette bit the inside of her lip. And before she could think it through, the words rushed out angrily. "I know what you're trying to do, and it's _not_ helping Alya!"  
She glared at her friend, who was staring back at her, her mouth open in shock. Marinette had never acted that way towards her before.  
"I'm... I'm sorry, Marinette, I didn't mean -"

"I'm sorry, too," she slumped her shoulders, internally cringing when she played her reaction back in her head. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that, Alya. I just... I'd want to get to know Seth because that's what _I_ want to do. Not because you think it would be good for me. It's not fair for me, or for him, to spend time with him just to keep my mind off of..." she trailed off, not wanting to say his name.

Alya put her hand on Marinette's shoulder. "I understand, it's fine. Just promise me something, alright?"

Marinette smirked. "Well... that depends..." Alya laughed, calming down a bit. Things were pretty messed up, but she must be okay enough to make such a face.  
"If you need to talk to us, don't hesitate, okay?"  
Marinette gave her a small smile and nod in response.

"We'll try our best in the mean time not to bring him up. But if you do want to talk about him, we're right here," Nino offered, putting his arm around Marinette's shoulders.  
"Thanks," Marinette spread her arms out so they wrapped around both her friend's waists. "What would I do without you?" 

"Hey guys!" Seth ran up to greet them. He was out of breath, and rested his hands on his knees. "Sorry I'm late, I had to go back home for something I forgot earlier."

"Nah, it's okay. We just got here. What do you guys want to do first?" Nino asked the group.

Alya was the first to speak her mind. "I'm actually _really_ hungry. Can we go grab something to eat?"

"Sounds good to me, I'm starving," Seth beamed, exposing his pearly white teeth.

Alya and Nino walked down the street together. She was talking about exactly where she wanted to go, and what she wanted to eat. Which left Marinette and Seth walking slowly, right behind the couple.

Seth looked over at the girl walking beside him. Without her mask, he noticed she had freckles on her face, and her eyes stood out instead of blending with the mask and dress he first saw her in the night of the Ball. After about a minute, he realized he had been looking at her much too long to be considered normal. He worried that she'd be uncomfortable with him staring at her, and quickly looked away, stuffing his hands in his pockets nervously.

But she was lost in thought, completely unaware that someone was looking at her at all. Although she knew right then wasn't the time to be thinking about it, she couldn't help but think about the things Mrs. Favre had told her after class today.

Something she had said to Marinette after school kept popping back into her mind each time she'd try to force herself to think of something else.

" _You're going to have someone new joining you soon. He'll have the Owl Miraculous in his possession, so know that when you see him, he's on your side."_

 _"Owl Miraculous?" Marinette had questioned._

 _"Yes. Although he can't really replace Ch- Adri-" she noticed every time she started to say one of his names, Marinette would close her eyes and start cringing._  
 _"Well, he'll be a... well, he'll be an apprentice of sorts. He doesn't know much about his powers yet, but once he does he'll be there to help."_

 _"How do you know about all of this Mrs. Favre?" she couldn't help but blurt out. Her curiosity was dying to escape. "Who exactly are you?"_  
 _Mrs. Favre flipped a lock of her blonde hair back and smiled. Marinette hadn't noticed before, but her smile was very similar to Adrien's. She made a mental note not to look at her directly when she smiled.  
_  
 _"I'll tell you in due time. Right now, you need to get back into a good head space again. I won't talk about it with you today, but I know how you felt about, ahh, both of them..." she tensed up, trying to beat around the bush as much as possible. "And it's important that you don't let your feelings distract you when you're out saving Paris. Spend time with your friends, start a new project. And when you're comfortable, talk about your feelings, your thoughts, and your worries. Just because you're a superhero, doesn't mean you're not still human. You can't just bottle everything up and expect it to go away."_

Marinette had been going over all of this in her mind several times.  
A new Miraculous holder? And he was a guy. Automatically, she thought of another flirty and over-the-top Chat Noir and immediately pushed that thought out of her mind. She would have to trust Mrs. Favre when she told her he was on her side, and not focus on anymore about this unknown guy until she met him.

But then who was Mrs. Favre, exactly? Yes, she said in so many words that she's Adrien's aunt, but wouldn't Adrien have said something in class about his aunt being his teacher? How did she know so much about Miraculouses? Same with Gabriel and Adrien. Why was this family so involved in the Miraculouses?

And how Marinette felt about Adrien/Chat Noir... She knew how she _should_ feel about him. But why did she still love him as if nothing had happened? Sure, she was angry with him... felt completely hurt at his words that cut through her heart like a frozen knife. But that didn't take away anything she felt for him...

Seth was also a really nice guy. She didn't know him too well yet, but she knew she'd get along with him well. He was friendly, easy-going, and a bit of a goof. She actually felt very _comfortable_ around him. Even more so than Nino, and she had no idea what that meant...

"Uggggh!" she groaned suddenly, holding her head in frustration. All the thoughts were spinning around in her mind, giving her a headache.  
Her friends looked at her, concerned at her sudden outburst.

"You guys go ahead, I need a minute," she put on a fake smile, and motioned for them to go on without her.  
Nino removed his cap, brushing his hand through his hair. "You sure, Marinette?"

She nodded, grasping her purse's strap. "I just need a moment alone."  
The three shrugged, and continued down the street to the restaurant they had all agreed on.

As soon as they were out of sight, Marinette ducked beside a building where she couldn't be seen.

"Tikki...I need to see... _Adrien's_ ," she forced his name out. Not being able to say his name without nearly crying was very impractical, which made her feel more aggravated. "I need to know what's going on with them."

"Marinette," she warned, "I don't think that's a good idea. It'll be dangerous. If you're doing this just so you can see Adrien..."

"It's not just so I can see Adrien!" she denied, exasperated. "I mean, I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of it, but really Tikki, no-one knows what's going on with them now that their identities have been revealed. They could be up to something really dangerous. I have to check it out."

Tikki sighed, her little body slumped. She knew there was no point trying to reason with her.

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette cried, and within moments, she was moving as stealthily as she could towards the Agreste's.


	10. Trust

Ladybug stood on top of the building right across the road from the Agreste's.  
It was dusk, and the breeze felt particularly frigid on her exposed face.

She looked down at the dark house, only a slight glow of light in one of the rooms indicated that the house wasn't vacant.  
The corners of her eyes began to water as she stared at the lit up window. She was unsure if this was because of the wind, or the hole she felt in her heart.

But despite this, Ladybug remained standing there, watching the mansion. She'd see movement at some point if she waited long enough, right?

As she decided to remain there and keep watch, she heard a noise coming from behind her.  
On instinct, she swiftly grabbed her yo-yo, and turned around to face the source of the noise.

When she saw that the boy that stood before her wasn't dressed in black with cat ears, she let her guard down, but only slightly.  
She didn't recognize him. He was tall with black hair, a silver streak in the front of his spiky hair. His suit was a brownish grey, with an unusual pattern Ladybug couldn't quite make out in the night. He wore a matching mask to his suit, the edges pointing gently upwards. The mask also completely covered his nose, giving off a look that was almost beak-like.  
He stared at her a moment, his eyes reminded her of that of an owls.

"Owl Miraculous?" she whispered once her heartbeat slowed and she could breathe again.

The boy took a step down off of the ledge, his mouth in a wide but crooked grin, exposing a dimple.  
"That's right. Call me Strix," the Owl-themed superhero held out his hand for a handshake.  
Ladybug looked down at his hand a moment before reciprocating.

He seemed confident, friendly, yet not pushy and forward.

"Did the Guardian send you to help me?" she wondered.

Strix blinked. "Guardian...? OH! You mean Shifu Fu, right? Yeah, he sent me."

"I didn't know there was such thing as an Owl Miraculous before today. I thought there was only the Bug, Cat, Bee, Peacock, Fox, Turtle, and Moth Miraculous..."

Strix sat on the ledge of the building that overlooked the Agreste mansion, and motioned for Ladybug to join him.

"There are many more than that, Ladybug. As far as I know, there are hundreds."

Her mouth popped open in shock. "H-Hundreds?! Hundreds of people around the world are secretly superheroes?"

He chuckled at her reaction. "Mmm well, not exactly. Some Miraculous are dormant. They're either kept by the local Guardian, or out in the world somewhere, completely lost. The Moth Miraculous was one of them, and the Peacock Miraculous is currently missing. I guess you could say Hawkmoth finding the Moth Miraculous was a blessing in a way."

Ladybug just raised her eyebrow at him.

"Ahh, I don't mean it like that. It was just missing for a very long time, and now because of Hawkmoth, it's resurfaced again."

She gave a slight nod, and shifted her focus back onto the mansion.  
They sat in silence for several minutes, before it became too much for Strix.

"What's wrong, Ladybug?" his eyebrows pulled together as he tried to get a look at her face.

She let out a huff. "I don't know how I can keep doing this. How am I going to be able to face him again?" she wondered aloud, gnawing on her lip.

"I don't know how you will either," Strix said suddenly. That wasn't the kind of response she was expecting, and she turned to look at him with confusion apparent on her face.

He just chuckled. "I don't know how you will," he repeated, "but I know that you're not going to give up. And you won't be facing him alone. You now have me," he gave her a crooked grin in encouragement. "Soon it won't be just me either, you'll have an entire team to back you up. You're not alone."

 _You're not alone._

Without warning, tears began spilling over, and Ladybug tried to brush them away, embarrassed to be crying in front of someone she didn't know. Someone that would be helping her in this hopeless situation. She shouldn't look weak and vulnerable, but the words were like the last drop needed to break the dam, because she had never felt so alone and betrayed in her life.

Strix reached his hand out to help her in whatever way he could, but he thought better of it and brought his arm back to his side.  
"I'll keep watch here, you should go home and get some rest. If I find out anything I'll report it to you tomorrow."

"What?" she sniffed. "But - "

Strix sighed. "If you did see him tonight, I don't think you'd be able to handle it well... Let me just ask you something. Do you trust me, that I'll do whatever I can to stop Hawkmoth, that I won't let you down?"

For the first time since he arrived, Ladybug looked into his eyes. She believed every word he said. She felt like she should fight it so she wouldn't be too trusting, but Mrs. Favre's words from the other day rang through her head.  
Her instincts told her to trust him, and so she would.

"I trust you," whispered Ladybug. _I just don't trust myself anymore_ , she thought.

He nodded, taking a deep breath. "Do me a favor, and don't think about anything that's troubling you tonight."

Ladybug laughed without humor. "I don't think that's even possible."

"Sure it is," she smiled slightly. "Just think about the places you'd like to see someday, or maybe places you've been that you'd like to visit again. It helps me."  
And for a second, Ladybug saw a glimpse of despair flood his features, before the uneven smile returned.  
She blinked a moment as it registered, but pretended not to notice.  
"I'll try that, thank you Strix. Meet me near here tomorrow afternoon?"

"Of course," his continuous smile glued to his face.

And with a quick wave, Ladybug was off into the night, leaving Strix behind to keep watch.

"What a mess..." he mumbled to himself with a sigh. 

* * *

**AN: So sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I've had a lot going on and also got kind of stuck with where I wanted this to go. I promise it won't be very long of a wait for the next chapter!  
~ToujoursMiraculous**


	11. Saturday

Adrien looked up from one of the windows in his dark room, watching Ladybug and the unfamiliar masked guy on the other side of the road.

"...Adrien?" Plagg whispered hesitantly.

"Shh," he held up his hand to stop him, never taking his eyes off the two.

Plagg grumbled, but remained silent, looking out the glass to witness what was going on.

Once Ladybug had left, the Cat Kwami watched some tension ease from his Chosen's shoulders, but he could still see tension practically rolling off of him.

"Good grief kid, relax would you?"

He had yet to take his eyes away the window.

"You know, you could always just go to her and -"

" _No_ ," Adrien finally turned his head to stare down at his Kwami. "I'm not backing down. I'm going to do this until the end, Plagg."  
After a few moments of staring down his Kwami, he turned back to watch who he thought was Ladybug's new partner.

Plagg sighed in defeat, and with tiny shoulders slumped, he slowly glided to his part of the massive room to settle down for the night.

Adrien just stood there, plotting silently. Thinking... wondering... hoping...  
At one point, he was sure the man outside his window knew he was standing there, but neither moved. Neither looked away. This kept up for hours.

Finally, come two in the morning did the hero get up and leave. Adrien let out a breath of relief and freely began to move around his room, and headed to his bathroom for a quick shower.

Once ready for bed, he dried his hair off with a towel, and threw himself backwards onto his bed.

As he lied there - staring up at nothingness - the same scene that played whenever he let down that poorly assembled wall he had put up in his mind, was there to pay a visit again.

 _"...I was in love with Adrien Agreste."_

 _"I was falling for Chat Noir, too..."_

 _"I'm never going to stop loving you. I'm never going to stop hoping that one day, you'll come back to my side again, the two boys I knew."_

 _"Goodbye, Chat."_

Each line he recalled in the tone she had used, picturing her in the tears she had streaming down her face, a sight he had never seen before... was pure agony.  
She loved him. She had loved both sides of him, and he didn't even know it. And it was because of him and his actions, and because of his father that she was suffering so much.

"I don't deserve you. I really don't deserve you..." he whispered so quietly, so low that not even Plagg could hear him.

Sleep eventually found Adrien, pulling him under, freeing his mind from the memory he was clinging onto. But it wasn't any better in his dreams.

Ladybug was bleeding, injured and cornered by Hawkmoth. He cackled madly, threatening to end her if she didn't comply. All the while, he was desperately trying to find his way to her, but he could never reach her, no matter how hard he fought to.

Then before he could witness anything particularly horrifying, the dream shifted, and he was looking at himself in a mirror - or at least what he thought was a mirror.  
It wasn't until the boy started talking that he knew it wasn't his reflection he was staring at.

"I am you," he said, with a smirk on his face. Not the playful smirk Adrien would usually wear, but a satisfied smirk. Smug and almost frightening.  
"Not Chat Noir, not everyone's view of Adrien Agreste. I'm the real Adrien Agreste," the boy said in the emotionless, cold tone Chat had used when he spoke to Ladybug last. "...Just like my father."

" _No_!" Adrien shrieked, stumbling backward, away from the look-a-like. "I'm nothing like my father!"

"Could've fooled me," he drawled, taking a step towards Adrien. "Your anger, your tone, your motive... even your betrayal of Ladybug. Just like Hawkmoth..."

"I am _not_!" Adrien spat, anger bubbling up inside of him.

"But you are, Adrien," he muttered, as his appearance shifted. Suddenly it was his father glaring back at him with his cold, unforgiving eyes.

Adrien woke abruptly from his miserable slumber, drenched in sweat and panting, trying to catch his breath and calm his pulsing heartbeat. 

* * *

Marinette woke that morning, feeling more refreshed than she had been the past few days. She still had had some rather unpleasant dreams, but they weren't quite as bad as usual.

It was a Saturday, so there was no school. A thought that left Marinette both relieved and worried. Relieved because she didn't have to try to act normal for everyone, didn't have to think about her school work and getting there on time. Didn't have to see where Adrien used to sit every day, someone else now in his place...

But a free day from school meant she'd be at home, focusing on all the things she'd been trying very hard not to think about.

She pondered her options.

She could patrol the city as Ladybug for most of the day. Only, she felt that would just be inviting Hawkmoth and Chat Noir to start something.

Working on a design was an option, but more likely than not would the task do little to keep her mind occupied.

Then there was the call a friend to hang out option. Marinette wasn't exactly psyched about this, but it was better than sitting indoors all day, stuck with her thoughts.

Marinette pulled out her cellphone, and typed up a text to her best friend.

 **Marinette [11:03 AM]:** Are you busy today?

 **Alya [11:04 AM]:** Sorry girl, I'm babysitting again.

Alya sent over a photo of her with her little siblings, playing with Ladybug dolls Marinette had made for them for their birthday.

 **Alya [11:04 AM]:** I'd suggest hanging out with Nino, but he's out of town for that family thing this weekend.

 **Marinette [11:06 AM]:** Oh right, that was this weekend... Don't worry about it, I'm sure I'll find something to do today. (:

 **Alya [11:09 AM]:** Oooor... you could text Seth and ask if he can hang out? (;

Marinette sighed.

 **Marinette [11:11 AM]:** But I don't have his number.

 **Alya [11:11 AM]:** I'll give it to you.

 **Marinette [11:11 AM]:** It would be rude to text him out of the blue like that.

 **Alya [11:12 AM]:** Marinette...

 **Marinette [11:12 AM]:** Alya! Didn't we already talk about this?

 **Alya [11:15 AM]:** I'm not suggesting you marry the guy, or even go out on a date with him. Just hang out, get to know him.

 **Alya [11:20 AM]:** You know you want to... (;

 **Marinette [11:23 AM]:** Alright, fine. What's his number?

Alya sent Seth's number over within moments, and she added it to her contacts.

Marinette stared at the bright screen, it's blank text window glared back.  
Why was she doing this, exactly? Surely she could spend a day alone. Company wasn't something she absolutely needed, and she would be seeing Strix later, so it wasn't like she'd actually spend it alone...

She wasn't doing this to try to move on, she was sure of that. Marinette felt no desire to.

And then it dawned on her: he was the only one that didn't know just how much she loved Adrien. Seth wasn't going be looking at her like she was the most pitiful thing in the world, nor did she have to worry about what to say to someone who also had to deal with Adrien's betrayal like when she's with Nino.

She could be completely free.

Without thinking, Marinette reached for her phone that was resting on her desk, and typed a message.

 **Marinette [11:32 AM]:** Hey Seth, it's Marinette. Alya gave me your number, and I was wondering if you're busy today?

She sighed as she set the phone back down, expecting him to take awhile to respond, but was pleasantly surprised when he answered right away.

 **Seth [11:33 AM]:** Hey Marinette! I have a couple of free hours right now. What's up?

 **Marinette [11:35 AM]:** Ah, it's nothing special. I just wanted to get out of the house, and Alya can't hang out today, so she suggested that I ask you to hang out. (:

 **Seth [11:36 AM]:** Oh, of course! Have anything in mind?

 **Marinette [11:38 AM]:** Er, no... do you?

 **Seth [11:39 AM]:** Actually, there's something I've always wanted to do. Meet me in front of the school? (:


	12. Stalker

The sun felt warm on her face as Marinette stepped out of the bakery. It was officially the first day she could wear clothing meant for warmer weather, and she was ecstatic. Something about new clothes brightened even her worst of moods.  
A pair of sunglasses, a pastel blue top, and a pair of white shorts, with her trusty pink bag hanging at her side was what she decided to leave the house in that day.

When she made her way over to their school, she took a seat on the massive set of empty stairs and waited, deciding to soak up some sun in the meantime. She kept trying to convince herself that today would be a fun day, a day where she could forget her worries and problems.

After waiting for several minutes, she suddenly had the feeling that someone was behind her. But when she looked around, there wasn't anyone around.  
Little did Marinette know, Chat Noir was watching her from the roof of the school.  
When she hadn't noticed anyone around after she had glanced around for the fourth time, she stopped turning around to look.

Chat was wondering what she was doing there on a weekend, lounging on the school steps.  
What he would give to be able to join her there. But his secret was out, and he was a traitor to all of Paris. The only reason he was allowed outside by his father at all was to get info on Ladybug. The only catch was he must stay low and out of sight. Which wasn't very hard, given the fact that he was a sneaky black cat.

Then Chat heard someone call Marinette's name. It was a male voice, one that he didn't recognize. His cat ears fell flat against his head. He watched the guy jog up to her, waving. She stood up to greet him with a smile on her face, looking very pretty and relaxed. Chat growled in discontent.

Then it hit him. She was going to be spending her time today with this guy, who he recalled was Seth, the one Marinette had danced with at the ball. That did nothing to make him feel better about the situation, but instead made him dislike this guy even more.

"Hey Seth!" Chat heard her greet.

"Hey Marinette!"

"So what is it that you were telling me that you've always wanted to do?"

Seth grinned playfully, and took her hand, pulling her along with him. "You'll see."

Who did this guy think he was anyway? Taking Marinette's hand and dragging her who knows where.

Chat knew the rest of his afternoon would be taken up following the two around wherever they might go. It was better than staying in his room, wondering what she was doing anyway.

With a sigh, Chat followed, staying as close to them as he possibly could without being seen. First, he saw them visit the the Arc de Triomphe, then Notre Dame, with stops at little cafe's and shops along the way. He of course couldn't walk into these buildings to see what they were doing or hear what they were saying, but when Marinette and Seth left, they were either wearing, carrying, or eating something that they hadn't had with them when they entered.  
He also took note of how she acted when she was with him. It was completely different than how she used to act around him. She was comfortable, and even a bit silly when she was with Seth. The contrast was striking in his eyes, and it caused his heart to sink in his chest.

Adrien and Chat Noir, the two people she trusted the most, betrayed her in the end. Of course, he realized, he had no right to expect to be with her, that she would only love him, always. It didn't matter, he brought about this all himself. It would have to be enough to hope that he forgives her someday.

By the time the late afternoon sun was low in the sky, Marinette and Seth had decided to go to the Eiffel Tower, the last place on his list of sights to see in Paris. Chat had launched himself up to the very top, where he could climb down and get close to them without them ever catching on that he was there.

Whenever Marinette visited the tower, it was always for an akuma attack, or just a day of patrol with Chat Noir, so she wasn't used standing where visitors were meant to be. It felt strange to her.

"It's so beautiful from up here," he gawked, taking in as much of Paris and beyond as possible.  
Marinette hummed in agreement. Her smile from the day was disappearing with the sun.

"Are you okay?" he asked when he took notice of her mood change.

"It's just... I used to come here with..."

"Oh. With that guy at the ball, right?"

She didn't answer, but the silence told him everything.

Seth stepped a little closer towards Marinette, who was leaning her arms on the railing.  
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened? Being the new guy in town, I don't really seem to understand."

Marinette looked down for a moment.  
"That night, I was with him until Chloe dragged him away, which is when I ran into you. Somehow you got akumatized after our dance, and before I knew it, Chat Noir had followed Hawkmoth, and Alya followed him. She thought she'd see a good fight, but it turned out to be a reveal of both of their identities that she made the mistake of broadcasting live on the Ladyblog. It sounds like Adrien's mother went missing a few years ago, and Hawkmoth said in Alya's footage that he needs our Miraculous to bring her back, and he's used that to get Adrien to join his side, after he was Ladybug's partner all this time," her face told him that there was more to this than she could say, so he didn't want to pry.

"Ahh, I see. You were really close with him," he didn't ask, but stated it.

She nodded sadly. "I don't want to believe that the person I knew was just for show, that I didn't really know him. But after what he said to me, and how he could join Hawkmoth in the first place, I don't even know anymore..."

Hearing her talk about it in her words, from her point of view, made Chat feel sick inside. If only he could let her know...

"Well, if you don't want to, then don't believe it. Sometimes things may appear to be one way, but they in fact turn out to be something else entirely. Yeah, your initial thoughts might be that he's turned on you, but he could have his reasons. Valid, explainable reasons. But it's also best to be wary about a situation like this, too. Because you really don't know the story for sure. Don't make any deep judgements about it until you find out more."

Somehow, Seth's words made her feel better. Tikki had been trying to comfort her about it since it happened, but for some reason, similar words coming from someone that wasn't involved personally, gave her that validation she needed to feel that it was okay to keep believing in him.

Chat didn't exactly like the guy because of his involvement with her, but he was grateful to him that he was probably the only one in Paris that would speak up for him in any way.

After brooding for awhile on top of the tower while they talked about more pleasant things, he followed the two to Marinette's house, where he watched her enter her home safely, and Seth walk presumably towards his home.

He stayed nearby, in case his father decided to send out any akuma, with her being the target. After she had turned her light off for the night, Chat Noir no longer needed to hang around. Adrien really didn't want to head back home, but if he stayed around much longer, his father would revoke the one privilege he had left.

Chat jumped in through his open bedroom window, and without bothering to remove his transformation, he went and sought out his father.  
Unsurprisingly to him, he found him in the secret room he only found out about recently, as Hawkmoth.

"I spent time around Paris all day, searching for Ladybug. Unfortunately, I didn't see any signs of her today, and I haven't figured out her true identity yet..."

Hawkmoth grumbled. "But we will, soon enough. Alright, you may leave now," he dismissed. As Chat left the room, and walked back out into the hall, on his way to his bedroom, he became Adrien again as he walked. Plagg complained as soon as he was free about how he didn't get to each any Camembert all day, to which Adrien gave him a piece without a word, and shut his door behind him to settle in for another depressing night.


	13. Inside Looking Out

"Sorry I'm late," Ladybug rushed when she landed by Strix, who was lounging on a rooftop near the Agreste mansion.

"It's cool, I was unexpectedly delayed myself," he shrugged. He stood up and approached Ladybug, who hadn't moved a muscle since she arrived.

"So, what's the plan for today?"

She sighed, and settled down on the spot she landed. "Wait and see if something happens, I guess. Maybe we can find out something by watching and waiting. I just have a bad feeling that something big is coming, and we need to figure out how to be prepared for it."

Strix glanced at the mansion, and saw the blond boy was again at the window, watching them. Ladybug seemed completely unaware of him being there. For a split second, he wanted to tell her, but he figured that it would cause unnecessary trouble and thought better of it.

"If something major is going to happen soon, I should get some practice in, I haven't even used my powers yet," he replied. "And I hope it's not too soon, Shifu Fu still needs to give out some of the Miraculous. Like you, he senses that something's coming."

"He does?" she turned to him in surprise, as this was news to her. "I haven't had a chance to go by and see him yet, but it sounds like I should as soon as possible."

Strix smiled. "I don't suppose you'd mind being my mentor while it's still just us, would you?"

She chuckled, "Of course not. For right now, how about I give you some advice?"

"Probably for the best that we don't go into the more serious stuff," he grinned widely, turning his body to face Ladybug, giving her his undivided attention.

"First thing, which is probably the most important, is don't panic and don't doubt yourself," she began. "You have to have confidence that things are going to work out, that you will be able to defeat the villain you're fighting and protect the people. You mustn't doubt your abilities. You were chosen for a reason, and if you can't get the hang of your powers at first, you eventually will, just don't give up. You have to trust that everything will work out."

Strix's eyes grew larger, making him look more like an owl than before. "Wow Ladybug, that's some really good advice."

She gave him a half-smile, and looked down at her yo-yo she held in her hand. Then, in the corner of his eye, he saw a green flash. Glancing over for a second, he saw Chat Noir standing in the window where Adrien had been, and his window was now open.

"On my first day as Ladybug, I was absolutely terrified. I had no idea what I was doing, and I had no confidence in myself, much like how I don't have confidence in myself in regular life," she laughed once without humor.  
"It's because of Chat Noir that I'm Ladybug today, because I would've given it up a long time ago without him. He made me feel like I was capable of doing something as great and as serious as saving Paris from super villains. And now here we are, on opposite sides..."

There was a silence for a moment, before Ladybug suddenly took a sharp intake of breath and stood up. "Anyway, I'm going to meet with Master and see what he thinks is going to happen so we can take the necessary steps to fight back. I'll let you know about it as soon as I can."

Strix noticed her fists were clenched and that she had turned away from him before she spoke. Ladybug was trying to bury her pain.  
He took a look back towards the window, expecting to see Chat Noir standing there, staring out the window with his piercing eyes glaring at them and his arms crossed as he watched angrily, but he jumped when he saw the scene before him.

Chat Noir was slightly hunched over, with his hands sprawled out in front of him, resting on the glass, along with his forehead. And was it a trick of the light, or did his eyes seem to shine more than he remembered?  
"Okay, fine with me. Just give me a call, alright? I uh," he cleared his throat, looking down at the ground and kicked his foot nervously. "I don't see anything happening tonight, so why don't you go home, get some rest, and we can meet somewhere else tomorrow?"

"Where should I meet you?" she asked.

He just smiled, and pointed to his communicator.

"Okay, if you say so..." Ladybug didn't seemed fully convinced, but she wanted to show she fully trusted her new teammate, so she went along with it. "See you tomorrow."

Once Ladybug was out of sight, Strix's smile disappeared, and he turned to face Chat Noir, who was still watching glumly out the window.

"I know you can hear me, Chat Noir," he said in a worn tone. "And I know you heard what she just said about you. She clearly means something to you, and you do to her. So... you better know what you're doing," he warned before he too disappeared. 

* * *

**AN: Sorry it's a short chapter! Things are really going to start rolling from this point onward, and this was needed to kind of bridge between the last chapter and the next one. Next chapter coming soon!**

 **I'll be working on finishing up the last two chapters of From Where You Are before I put out another chapter for this however.**

 **~ToujoursMiraculous**


	14. Miraculous Delivery

"Master, I hope I'm not disturbing you?" Marinette asked as she walked into the shop.

"Not at all, please have a seat," he gestured for the little table they usually sat at when she visited. Tikki left Marinette's purse to join Wayzz, who looked very pleased to see her.

"Strix told me that you sense something big is coming," she rushed out, getting straight to the point.

"Ah yes," he looked glumly down at his tea before taking a sip. "And you need to be prepared."

"But how can I be?" Marinette exclaimed, her eyes wide with worry. "Besides Strix, I'm alone. Chat Noir and I had difficulty fighting just one akuma at times, and now he's sided with Hawk Moth."

"It's quite the problem," Master Fu pondered, glancing over at his phonograph. "Although the solution is clear, it's not easy for me to admit."

"What do you mean?"

The old master pushed his step stool over in front of the phonograph, pressing the buttons that unlock the hiding place of his most precious treasure.

"You will need to give these out, to those you trust," he removed the Bee and Fox Miraculouses from their departments in the box. "These three and Strix will be the core of your team. So make the right choice."

"But why me? Why aren't you choosing, Master?" her brows furrowed, considering how much Master Fu drilled into her about the importance of keeping them safe, she didn't feel like such a task should be given to her. She didn't feel ready.

"I trust that you can make the right decision, Marinette, now it's important that you trust in yourself."

She swallowed hard. Trusting herself was something she was having difficulty with. Did he know that?

"...Wait," she said abruptly, his words suddenly dawning on her.

"You said three Miraculous, but you handed me two."

"Yes, I did. Because I'm giving you mine as well," he said sadly, glancing over at Wayzz. "I am too old to transform anymore, much less fight. The power that comes with this Miraculous is vital to bringing down Hawk Moth, and I trust you to give it to someone who will treat my Miraculous and Kwami the same as you do yours."

Marinette glanced at her Kwami, who gave her a wide smile.

"The bond you two share is exactly what the Miraculous are about. As you know, it's not just a team effort between you and your superhero partners, but with your Kwami as well. When you can develop a bond with them, it unlocks more powers, more potential. The key to successfully bringing him down is not only the bond and trust with your teammates, but with your Kwami's. Which is why you must give them out as soon as possible. Whoever you choose needs the time to get to know their Kwami's."

"Okay Master," she nodded, "I have people in mind for all three. I'll take care of it right away."

"Good. Remember Marinette, I have faith in you," he winked at her then, before turning to face Wayzz. "I guess this is goodbye my old friend," his eyes glistened.

"Master..." Wayzz whispered, and then jetted towards his head, giving him a Kwami version of a hug.

"Ahh, don't worry, this isn't goodbye forever," Master Fu chuckled. "We'll see each other again."

Wayzz glanced in his friend's eyes, and nodded.

"Just make sure to take care of your new friend when you meet them, alright?"

"Yes, Master."

Master Fu removed his bracelet, Wayzz disappearing from the room. He gently set the jade bracelet in the mysterious and uniquely-shaped black box and handed it over to Marinette, along with the other two that contained the Fox and Bee Miraculous.

"Remember what I've told you. I have faith in you," he repeated, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Thank you," she breathed. Marinette looked at Tikki, and they ran out of the shop to start their mission.

Ladybug knew exactly who to deliver each Miraculous to, she just wasn't sure where to start.  
Her instincts led her to an apartment not far from her own. She knew it quite well, and had been here before as Ladybug.

She saw her in her room, on her computer. Ladybug knocked lightly on the sliding glass door.

"Ladybug?" the girl asked in surprise after she slid the door open.

"Alya," Ladybug greeted pleasantly. "I know it's probably a little too late for a visit, and I apologize for that, but given the circumstances, I don't have much time to wait."

"What is it, what's wrong?" Alya's eyes grew anxious, hearing Ladybug sounding so nervous and urgent unnerved her.

"I have something for you," she brought out one of the black boxes. Alya eyed it with child-like wonder. "Inside lies a Miraculous. It'll help you become a superheroine. Paris and myself need your help to bring down Hawk Moth, and given our past with you, I trust you. Will you help me?"

Alya simply nodded, taking the box from her hands. She opened it, revealing an orange glow, and from it came a Fox Kwami.

"Hello! I'm Trixx, and I'm your Kwami! I'll help you transform into a superhero."

"And much, much more," Ladybug winked at her friend. "Kwami's are more than just a tool to give us magic to become superheroes, they're our mentors, our partners, and our friends."

"It's nice to meet you, Trixx, I'm Alya," she beamed, her eyes darting between Trixx and Ladybug. "This is so cool!"

"I'll leave you two to get acquainted. I need you to meet me in the park near Collège Françoise Dupont tomorrow at noon. Will you be able to make it?"

"I'll be there!" she exclaimed eagerly.

"Becoming a superhero means taking on new responsibilities, which means you can't tell anybody about it. Not your friends or family, and you certainly can't post anything about it on the Ladyblog."

"Of course, don't worry, I won't say anything."

Ladybug smiled and gave a nod. "I have to go deliver Miraculous to the others before it gets too late. We'll see you tomorrow!"

And then she was gone, leaving a very excited Alya alone with the necklace and Trixx.

Her next stop wasn't too far away, at another apartment building.  
His room didn't have a balcony like hers or Alya's, so she had to knock on his window. Thankfully, he was reading comics and not listening to music.

Nino rushed to the window, throwing it open.  
"Ladybug?! What are you doing here?" he asked in shock as she climbed in.

"Hello again, Nino. I've come to give you something," she pulled out the box, Nino looking at it, only mildly curious.

"What is it?"

"It's a Miraculous. It'll let you be a superhero."

Nino just stared at the box. "Are you sure you want to give that to me? I don't think I'm-"

"Yes, I'm sure. Don't think I haven't remembered the times you've helped me out in the past, including-" she cut herself off, remembering that bringing up the memory could make him sad, and that was the last thing she wanted to do to her friend. "Well, you've helped me out a lot, and I know you'll make a wonderful superhero. Will you take it and continue helping me save Paris?"

"Does that include helping you bring down Hawk Moth?"

"It does, yes."

Nino looked back at the box, a serious expression crossed his face, but only for a few moments.

"I'll do it. I need to help my best friend, and the only way I can do that is if I become a superhero. I don't know if I have what it takes to be a good one, but I have to try, for him."

"I believe in you, Nino. I'll do whatever I can to help you, he's - he's..."  
Ladybug was trying to fight the tears that started to burn her eyes. "He's my best friend. I don't want to give up on him, I really don't. But my head tells me I can't do what my heart wants, I have to take him and his actions seriously."

Nino smiled, nothing but understanding written on his face. "I know, you wouldn't be Ladybug if you let your heart make your decisions for you."

"Thank you for understanding."

"But it's good to know that you haven't given up," he took the box from her, opening it up. A bright green glow filled the room, and Wayzz was free again.

"Hello Nino, I'm Wayzz, your Kwami."

"Cool," he drawed out. "I've got a new bud! You help me transform, right?"

"I certainly do! And I can tell you everything you want to know."

"Sweet!"

Ladybug giggled. "I'll leave you two to it then. Wayzz, make sure you tell him everything you need to, okay?"

"Of course, Ladybug. By the way, good choice."

Ladybug grinned. "Can you come to the park by your school tomorrow at noon, Nino? Myself and the other new heroes are meeting there."

Nino didn't want to look away from his new turtle friend. "Sure, that's not a problem."

"See you, I'll be off then!"

Ladybug headed towards the direction of home, since her last stop was on the way.  
She landed on a rooftop nearby.

"I can't believe I'm doing this..." she groaned to herself, and flung her yo-yo towards the hotel.

She stepped on to the enormous balcony, took a few steps and knocked on the door.  
Ladybug braced herself.

"Ladybug!" Chloe shrieked as she opened the door. "I knew you'd want to hang out with me!" she yanked her into the room, causing Ladybug to stumble.

"Actually, Chloe -"

Chloe threw her into a chair, and sat in one across from her. "This is so great! What would you like to do first? We could totally go shopping, I'll call Daddy and we could -"

"Chloe! This isn't a social visit. It's important!"

Chloe blinked. "Wait, superhero stuff?"

Ladybug sighed. "Yes, and I came her to ask for your help."

"Of course you did! What do you need me to do?" she asked eagerly, leaning towards Ladybug.

"I know you've helped me, you've even saved my life, but what I'm about to give you... well, I need to know that I can trust you, that you can be responsible. You cannot let me down," her tone almost scolding.

Chloe's expression grew serious, and she leaned back in her chair. "Of course, I'd never want to let you down." Her eyes darted towards the floor, away from Ladybug. "I've - I've always wanted to be like you, a hero that wants to do the right thing, saving people and not letting them down... because I let my mother down, and she left. I don't want to lose anyone that way again."

"Uhh," Ladybug blinked, her mouth open but unsure of what to say. She realized Chloe would never share something so personal with anyone, and if she was doing so with Ladybug, she was completely serious.  
"I - I'm sorry about your mother, Chloe," she finally said.

"Yeah, me too."

"As long as you'll keep this a secret from everyone, and I mean everyone, you can have this," she handed the last black box over to Chloe.

"What is it?"

"Open it. Hopefully it's your style," she added with a small smile.

"I can pull of anything," Chloe replied with confidence. She then opened the box, a yellow glow emanating from the box. Pollen the Bee Kwami appeared by Chloe's head, and she began screaming. "A giant bee!"

"No, no Chloe! This is a Kwami!"

Chloe kept swatting at Pollen until she spoke. "Please Chloe, I'm a friend! I'm not going to harm you!"

"...It - it talks?" Chloe stopped, pointing up at the Kwami with a dumbfounded expression.

"This is Pollen. She's your Kwami. She'll be what transforms you into a superhero, and she'll be a friend and guide for you."

"Oh," she calmed down, setting the pillow she had in her hand on her lap.

"A mirror!" Pollen darted for the grand mirror Chloe had in her room. "It's been so long since I've had the luxury!"

Chloe smiled. "A Kwami that cares about her appearance? I think I can make this work."

"Glad to hear it. Try to get along and let me know if you need help adjusting. I'm meeting the other heroes tomorrow at noon, think you can be there?"

"Of course I'll be there! I'm not going to let you down, remember?"

"Right. Remember not to tell anyone. This has to stay a secret."

Chloe had gotten up from the chair and over to Pollen, who was brushing the fur around her neck with her little hands. Chloe gave her one of her mascara wands, minus the mascara, to let her use on her fur.

"Why thank you, Chloe!"

It warmed Ladybug's heart to see her get along with someone so well, especially a Kwami. If she was asked, she'd admit she thought Chloe would have difficulty getting along with one. She was however happy to be wrong. "Chloe, did you hear me?"

"Yes, yes. Keep the secret, don't tell anyone. I've got it, don't worry."

"Alright, I'm leaving now if you don't have any questions. Though Pollen should be able to fill you in on anything you may need to know. See you tomorrow."

Ladybug left her room to Pollen and Chloe laughing, though she hadn't heard what about.  
So far, so good.

Marinette made it home a minute later, and rested on her balcony a moment.  
"What a day."

Tikki giggled. "I think you made some really good choices with them."

"You think so?" Marinette wondered. "Even Chloe?"

"Yes, I have a feeling she'll end up surprising us all."

Marinette smiled and pet Tikki's head gently with her finger.  
"I really hope you're right."


End file.
